FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT JAMAAL MAGLOIRE - PAGE 5

When/Where: 8 p.m., United Center, Chicago. TV: Sun Sports. Radio: WAXY (790-AM), WSVU (960-AM), WQBA (1140-AM, Spanish). Scouting report: This is the first game of the three-game season series. The Heat have won seven of the last nine meetings, going 1-1 at the United Center each of the past two seasons . . . After winning 21 of 22, the Heat enter on a two-game losing streak, with Thursday's 130-102 loss in Denver their most lopsided of the season . . . The Heat have allowed an average of 120.5 points over the past two games, after allowing an average of 90.5 during that 21-1 run . . . At 30-11, the Heat have tied the best midseason mark in the franchise's 23 seasons, also with a 30-11 record in 1996-97 . . . The Heat have won 13 consecutive games within the Eastern Conference, one victory shy of the franchise's longest such streak, set in 2005-06 . . . Chicago enters coming off a Friday game at Indiana . . . Bulls center Joakim Noah (thumb)

Ah media day, when hope is served in hearty soundbites, everyone is getting along, and the thought of a losing season is practically unfathomable. A taste from Friday's session at AmericanAirlines Arena: Power forward Udonis Haslem said he welcomes being challenged to retain his starting position, and wouldn't want to merely be handed one. It's why he was captain last season, and why he should be again. Michael Beasley said he is intrigued by the possibility of starting in a lineup that also features Haslem and Shawn Marion.

In possession of quantity at center but not necessarily the type of quality needed for extended playoff success, the Miami Heat reportedly is poised to take a look at free-agent Erick Dampier. According to the Houston Chronicle, Dampier worked out with members of the Houston Rockets on Monday and is scheduled to work at the Toyota Center again Tuesday, before he is scheduled to move on to South Florida. Dampier, 35, was released last week by the Charlotte Bobcats in a cost-cutting move.

The Cat is out of the bag. Jamaal Magloire is back with the Miami Heat. A bruiser on the court and a stabilizing presence in the locker room, Magloire signed off Monday on his third one-year, minimum-scale contract with the Heat. Known as the "Big Cat," the former University of Kentucky Wildcat becomes the Heat's fourth center under contract, joining fellow Heat free agent Joel Anthony, Cleveland Cavaliers free agent Zydrunas Ilgauskas and second-round pick Dexter Pittman, the burly center from the University of Texas.

With the Heat's season-longest seven-game trip essentially broken into West (Denver, Sacramento, Los Angeles), Midwest (Minnesota, Milwaukee) and Southwest (Houston, Oklahoma City) segments, some thoughts after Segment I: In order to sustain anything beyond this dance around .500, true height must be acquired. Not phony shot-blocking height (Joel Anthony), foul-prone height (Jamaal Magloire) or 3-point height (Mark Blount). One has to wonder if Anthony's days as a starting center aren't drawing to a close.

Dwyane Wade said he gives the Heat only a "B-" for its season so far but thinks the Heat could eventually earn a better grade if allowed a chance to grow. With speculation surrounding the Heat trading forward Shawn Marion for Toronto's Jermaine O'Neal, among others, Wade said the current roster has the stuff to reach "A" level. "For the first 40 games I think we had a pretty good season," Wade said before the Heat faced Boston Wednesday night. "It only can get better. That's not my decision, though.

Observations from Sunday's 96-92 victory over the Bobcats at AmericanAirlines Arena: Mario Chalmers continues his reemergence, not only with the 3-pointers, but also with a career high in assists Sunday. His first career double-double shows how much of a force Chalmers can be when he takes an aggressive approach. Chalmers' battle with Bobcats' rookie D.J. Augustin, though, mostly was a standoff. Fortunately for the Heat, Raymond Felton was way off with his shot. For all the concern about center and point guard, with only Dwyane Wade able to score off the dribble, this remains an offense capable of bogging down.

Luther Head just wants to play. And while he will have to wait a bit longer for that opportunity with the Heat, he still was willing to risk playoff position when it came to taking a buyout. Unlike the other players who took buyouts at Sunday's deadline to be playoff eligible, such as Drew Gooden (Sacramento to San Antonio), Joe Smith (Oklahoma City to Cleveland) and Stromile Swift (New Jersey to Phoenix), Head worked out a deal to move down in the standings. "My agent convinced me this is best way to jump-start my career," Head said of leaving the Rockets.

Jermaine O'Neal's take-charge approach finally got the best of the Heat center. A week after unsuccessfully attempting to draw a charge on Celtics forward Paul Pierce, the lingering bruised right hip from that collision kept O'Neal out of Monday's game against the Grizzlies. "Obviously taking charges like that, two to three times a game, it puts a little bit on you," O'Neal said. "It's one of those situations where you're just looking at the schedule, and I'd prefer to rest and get back out there on Wednesday, Thursday.

The temptation might be to play Dwyane Wade every minute of every game, especially the way the Heat guard has been playing. But coach Erik Spoelstra said there is a method to his approach that usually has the league's leading scorer on his bench at the start of the second and fourth quarters. "I'd like to keep Dwyane's minutes to around 36 to 38 as long as we possibly can," Spoelstra said. "I think that's where he's most efficient, most explosive for his body type. "I think you can get the most out of him from there.